Dolly-Parton

Dolly Parton, born Jan. 19, 1946, in Locust Ridge Tenn. to a family of 12 poor children who would grow up with them eventually. She learned early how to get out of difficulties by using her rich and imaginative imagination. The songs she wrote were composed before she was able to read and write. She got her first guitar when she was 8 and started performing on a Knoxville Tenn radio station at age 11. That that same year, Gold Band Records was a small independent record label. While she was studying, she established a name for herself within the local arena. But her dream was to to play on a bigger scale. On the very day she was able to graduate from the high school in 1964. The first charting record she had on Monument Records included Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy both in 1967. The syndicated television show of Porter Wagoner needed the services of a new singer by this point. Parton took the offer in 1967 signed to RCA Records in 1968 and became a member of in the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. It was not until 1974 that she opted to walk away from Wagoner's program as the popularity of her solo albums including Joshua Coat, Many Colors, and Jolene was outstripping their joint efforts. Parton composed "I Will Always Love You" to Wagoner just after the pair split. The track hit the top spot at No. The song of Parton in 1974."I Will Always Love You" reached No.